After the Jellybean
by isobel.marx
Summary: A heartbroken Riley crosses paths with Farkle on the subway, and suddenly starts seeing her Canada in a whole new light. Riarkle one-shot fluff.


Girl Meets World Riarkle Oneshot

Riley sat on the subway, alone. She stared at the stale, purple jellybean in her hand, her vision burred with tears. She had always kept it in her pocket, since the day she and Lucas had started dating two years ago.

"And now it's over," she mumbled to herself.

The subway car eased to a stop and everyone around her began heading for the doors. She wondered about the story behind each blank expression. Where were they coming from? Where were they headed? Were they also struggling to mask a broken heart?

The speaker crackled overhead with an announcement that she ignored. She had no idea where she wanted to end up but she'd know when she arrived, surely.

 _Damn jellybean,_ she thought bitterly. She hadn't realized it at the time but she'd hung a lot of hope on this piece of candy that was now melting in her hands, the color coming off on her fingers. She could feel a sob lodge itself painfully in her throat. How could she has ever seen this piece of candy as anything more than what it was? A silly promise made as children. Typical Riley, always romanticizing. With a flash of anger, she flicked the candy across the subway car.

"Ow!"

Riley looked up. She knew that _ow_. It was a very distinctive _ow._ "Farkle?"

With a sheepish expression, Farkle rose from his seat on the other end of the subway car, waving a tissue. "I'm waving the white flag, soldier. Pease don't send any more projectiles my way."

Riley managed a small smile and wiped away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. What are you doing? Your apartment was two stop ago."

He shrugged and slipped the tissue back into his pocket before sitting down beside Riley. "And yours was three stops ago. When you didn't get off, I wanted to make sure that you got home alright. Are you okay, Riley?"

She tried to answer but she was overwhelmed by a fresh way of tears. "Lucas is moving back to Texas. For good. He broke up with me." She winced at the crack in her voice. Saying it out loud somehow made it more real.

Farkle reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry." For a moment, it seemed like he was going to say more but then thought better of it. Instead he pulled her into an embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head.

Riley held onto him tightly and let it all out. Her body shook with the silent sobs as her tears soaked his hoodie. The flood of emotion that seemed to be drowning her just moments before seemed somehow bearable in his arms. They stayed like that until the subway came to a stop again and Riley felt Farkle shifting.

"Please don't leave me," she pleaded.

He smiled and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. "I wouldn't dream of it. But I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get off here so I could show you something?"

She nodded, numbly. Everything familiar was two or three stops back but she trusted Farkle. Maya _had_ said she needed to be more adventurous. Maybe this would be a step in that direction. Clutching her friend's hand tightly, she followed him off the subway.

As soon as they stepped onto the platform, the throng of people pressed in on them. Riley held her breath and squeezed Farkle's hand a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach. Something of an anomaly in a New York native, she hated crowds.

As they weaved through the crowd, she watched Farkle's face, his expression one of determination. It had been a long time since she had spent time alone with him. He had changed in recent years – shedding his adolescent awkwardness for a more confident demeanor. At his center, though, he was still the nerd who had been a constant companion since elementary school. She hoped that they'd never drift apart. Their circle of friends had already shrunk when Smackle got recruited to MIT in their sophomore year. Farkle had been crushed.

Before she knew it, they had walked two blocks and were standing outside of a quaint, unassuming brownstone. There was ivy climbing of the sides and Riley thought it looked like a place that someone would love to call home.

"Is this it?"

Farkle turned to her with a spark of something indiscernible in his eyes. "It's what's inside that I wanted to sow you. Guaranteed cure for Riley tears. Promise." He took the steps two at a time and rang the doorbell.

After a few moments, an elderly woman answered the door. As soon as she saw Farkle, her expression softened into a smile of motherly affection. "Farkle, dear, back so soon? Who's your friend?"

"Martha, this is Riley Matthews. She's having a bit of a rough day."

Martha's eyes twinkled as she turned, waving Riley and Farkle into the brownstone. "I think I have just what she needs."

Riley raised an eyebrow at Farkle. She wasn't sure what destination she had been expecting but an old lady's home definitely hadn't been on the list. With silent encouragement from her friend, she shrugged and followed Martha.

And that was when she saw them. Kittens. Big and small, there were kittens everywhere. Riley's heart melted as she stopped in the living room doorway to pick up an orange tabby. It purred softly and rubbed its head against her arms.

"A house of kittens?"

"Martha is a foster mom for kittens through the local animal shelter. I come here sometimes to help out and get my share of kitten love. Scientists has proved that petting a cat lowers stress levels and blood pressure. So, really, from a health perspective, it's a great way to spend your free time." He grinned. "Plus, they're just cute."

Riley wasn't sure about blood pressure but holding an affectionate kitten was doing wonders for her broken heart. She moved over to the couch, still cradling the kitten, the knot of grief and anxiety in her stomach gradually loosening.

Farkle sat down next to her and they spent the next half hour holding and playing with the kittens. Riley kept noticing him watching her out of the corner of his eye. After another ten minute had gone by, he finally spoke.

"When we were in middle school, I almost told you something. But I lost my nerve."

Riley raised an eyebrow in question while trying to stop the unruly tabby from falling off the couch. "You know you can tell me anything."

"It's about you."

He interest was piqued. "You can still tell me anything."

He licked his lips and seemed to think for a moment. "I know I told you that I had loved you since the second grade but I never told you why. I think it's important that you know what I saw in you back then. What I still see."

Riley swallowed, taken aback. "What do you see?"

Running his fingers through his hair, Farkle let out a sigh. He reached out and held her hand. She could feel his quickened pulse. "You are hope."

"What?"

"When I was in second grade, my parents were going through a really rough patch and I thought they were going to get a divorce."

"I remember that. You cried at school every day."

"Yeah." He sighed, chewing on his bottom lip for a moment before giving Riley a sideways smile. "And that upset you so much. You couldn't stand to see your friend so unhappy. So, one day, when I was crying on your shoulder, you looked at me and said, 'Don't worry, Farkle – there's still kittens.'"

Riley choked on a laugh. "That's the best I had at the times."

Farkle shook his head and tucked a lock of hair behind Riley's ear. "But it was perfect. Even when faced with the darkness of this world, you knew that there was still good in it. And you wanted to share that good with me. You have always been so hopeful and that hope is contagious. Do you have any idea how incredible and _rare_ that is in a person. I –" He stopped and looked down, his face flushed.

Riley moved closer to Farkle. "You what?"

Farkle suddenly jumped up from the couch, seemingly flustered. "You know what? This really isn't the time for this. You're emotionally vulnerable and all hopped up on kitten love. You wouldn't be thinking straight."

"Farkle?" She stood up and they were face-to-face.

"Yeah?"

They were now so close that Riley could smell the mint on his breath. She wasn't sure if they'd ever been this close. It felt right. "Just shut up and kiss me, will you?"

The whole world seemed to slow down in an instant. It was just them and a room full of kittens. Riley couldn't imagine anywhere she'd rather be. Her pulse quickened as Farkle leaned in, cupping her face in his hands. She never would have seen this coming but somehow it made perfect sense in this moment. Their lips met and she melted into him. For the second time that day, she felt safe in his arms. But she also felt something else. Exhilaration.

When they finally broke apart, they were both smiling, their faces flushed. Riley slipped her hand into his, locking fingers. She was pretty sure that the moment could have lasted forever, just the two of them in each other's arms. At last.

Farkle took a deep breath and let it out. "Riley Matthews, I never stopped loving you. I stepped aside because I wanted you happy and you wanted Lucas. But you were always the one for me. Your smile, your laugh, your contagious sense of hope. You amaze me."

Riley looked at her friend through a different lens. Her constant companion. Her Canada. Someone who loved her and she could see herself loving. She was seeing every detail like it was the first time. With a smile, she wrapped her arms around Farkle and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Riley?"

"Yes?" She didn't lift her head from his shoulder.

"You were worth the wait."


End file.
